Not As Expected
by Whipblade
Summary: Short-Could be of what happened to Mace when he took Harley. This was wrote when I heard rumours of the new series, about Mace and Harley being in it, and seeing Harley's new look.


**Not as Expected**

_**By: Whipblade**_

Mace tipped his head up, his metallic eyes unblinking as he watched the female with strange face ware stroll towards him.

"The hell you here for?" She demanded reaching for her gun in her side holster.

"I…. think I live here….. don't I?" His unsure shaky voice answered.

"You do." She huffed turning her back on the rat. "What do you want?"

"Acid wanted me to help you…. When the injured comes in." Mace replied limping towards the grown female mouse. "What's your name again?"

Her blue eyes blazed as she spun to face the rat she despised and snapped. "It's Harley."

Standing by the many beds, the rat looked up and down the empty bunks ready for injured warriors to fill them. He ran his hand over the railing feeling the coolness of the metal. His arms fitted with metal bands running from his wrists to mid-forearms.

"Harley?" he turned around seeing the grayish female. He watched her quick movements as she spun around, her eyes never off of him.

"What?"

"Are we still fighting …are we still fighting…" he paused trying to remember anything. "Who are we fighting?" he finally asked.

"Catatonians." She snapped. "Felines."

"Oh." He turned his attention to the far end of the cave. "That's not right." He hummed as the hospitals doors burst open with the first casualty.

"We could use a hand outside." A rat said as he passed the brown-gray rat.

Slowly making his way out the doors, Mace looked around the chaotic mess of bodies. One figure on a stretcher caught his attention. A mouse of all things looking deep gray through his metallic eyes. Kneeling down beside the unconscious mouse, he carefully flipped the mouse's forelock aside. Running his hand long the soft cheek, Mace frowned. "I think I know you." He muttered taking the mouse's bandana off, unlatching the lone bandoleer and flipping back the black vest. No wound was apparent, no blood seeped black from anywhere. Lifting the mouse's head carefully Mace ran his paw along the back of the mouse's head and neck. Gently resting the mouse's head Mace frowned plucking an off-white tag from his coat, pausing he shifted till he was kneeling at the mouse's legs. Pulling off his boots, then socks, he carefully rolled up the denim until the angry red swollen bite was exposed. Ripping off a colored tag Mace couldn't tell was red. He hurried onto the next body.

As Mace made the rounds tagging wounded and dead fighters, Harley and the other medics inside worked feverously on the soldiers.

"Might want to take a look at the mouse first, he's out cold, Only has a nasty bite mark." A dark brown and light brown rat called over to the medic.

"Sure thing Acid!" Harley hollered back as she approached the rats carrying the mouse on a stretcher. "What's a mouse doing in a rats' fight anyways?"

"We found him while looking for wounded. I'm not sure but I think he was there before we started fighting. There's a lot of sand in his fur." One of the rats replied setting down his end of the stretcher.

Mace wandered up to the group, his metal eyes again staring at the unconscious mouse. He didn't say a word as everyone ignored him, brushing past and acting as if he was invisible as usual to all but Harley. "He's a mouse." Mace stated like it wasn't so obvious.

"I know he's a mouse." Harley growled, her eyes caught something past Mace. She sighed.

"Do you know him?" Mace asked watching her assess and evaluate the damage.

"I'm not sure." She replied her tone light trying to hide her irritation at the rat with metal eyes and scars running along his face.

"Do I know him?" Mace again asked watching Harley and another rat try to figure out why the mouse was unconscious.

"How would you know a mouse?" A new deeper voice asked as he put his dark brown paws on Mace's shoulders.

"I … don't know." Frowning Mace looked up to see Acid, the only rat he recognized and still remember the name. "But… he …." Puzzled, Mace whimpered leaning back against his brother, unable to sort out the scattered images his brain flashed.

"Come on Mace; let the medics do what they have to." Acid led his younger brother out of the infirmary.

********

Throttle groaned as he came to. His head throbbed, as did his backside. Opening his eyes he blinked back stars, his green shades still firmly on his face. Then something caught the corner of his eye. Turning his head slowly, a rat sat beside him looking like a lost puppy, a lost retarded puppy. Metallic eyes on a familiar face with a puzzled look attached didn't seem right.

"Mace?" Throttle gasped reaching for his gun that he didn't have.

"Hrm?" tilting his head the rat smiled. "Your awake." He said realizing the mouse was indeed awake and talking. Standing up the rat limped away and out of sight.

Confused Throttle looked about the cave only to realize he was among rats. Nothing but rats. "Where the hell am I?"

"Plato Canyon." A deep voice replied. Mace following at his heels.

"Who are you?" Throttle asked slowly sitting up.

"Acid, Commander. This is Mace." Acid waved his hand at his brother.

"I see the family resemblance." Throttle growled darkly. "Where's my blaster?"

"I took it away, until you tell me why you need it." Acid stated, his eyes coldly looking at the mouse.

"To kill that thing beside you." Throttle growled, his ears flattening against his hair.

"Mace….." Acid turned to look at the rat he used to like. "Mace isn't a threat to anyone anymore."

"You know me?" Mace asked looking to the undamaged mouse.

Throttle swallowed hard at the innocence in the rats' voice. "Yeah… I know you."

"Do you like me?" Mace again asked trying to push past his brother to talk to the mouse.

"Mace, shut up." Acid shoved the lighter brown rat back.

Stumbling, Mace fell. His ears fell too, getting up; the rat slinked away like a whipped dog.

"That's either one hell of an act…." Throttle frowned seeing the traitor slink off. "What happened to him?"

Acid sat down in the chair Mace had dragged beside the bed. "I found him bleeding in the desert, not too far away. A mouse he had kidnapped attacked him with a claw hammer. He suffered a lot of damage. The medics fought hard to keep him alive, but between the damage to his brain, the loss of blood and few minutes he didn't breath……" Acid watched as mace again entered the recovery unit like nothing had happened only a minute before. "The brother I knew became something to tolerate while the mouse spoke of lies."

"That mouse, she still here?" Throttle asked seeing the scars on Mace's face now. Long jagged scars behind his ears and above his eyes.

"There's a mouse here …. Two…" Mace muttered looking at the mouse.

"Yes, she's still here. She's been working as a medic, always under surveillance. I don't trust her, but we haven't killed her yet." Acid stated coldly standing.

"Why?" Throttle asked as Mace took Acid's seat.

"She wants to harm a rat; she can bloody well make up for it by patching them up."

"And why am I here now?" Throttle asked before the rat could run.

"You've been here for a week, you had an allergic reaction to a snake bite."

Throttle sighed. "Then it was a sand rattler."

"Yes, it was. Anti-venom had been administered, only a few days ago did the medics remove the in tube." Acid stated pointing to the IV line. "I would not recommend you removing that."

Throttle nodded as he watched Acid stroll away. Turning his attention to Mace, he frowned. "Would you like something?"

Shifting Mace looked around before he realized the mouse was talking to him. "You said you knew me."

"Yes." Throttle tensely grumbled.

"Did you know me before I came here?" Mace asked shifting to stare at the mouse.

"Yes. I did."

"Did you like me?" mace asked quietly.

"What type of a question is that?" stumped Throttle wasn't sure how to answer.

"No one here likes me. Acid don't like me." Mace confessed playing with his tail.

The child like speak forced Throttle to swallow hard and consider Mace's new IQ. "Yes, you were liked before."

Nodding Mace shifted again. "Why did I have a mouse with me in the desert?"

Throttle sighed. "Because, you ….." He frowned seeing how the rat looked so confused he wasn't sure if telling a child the truth would hurt or hinder. "You kidnapped her."

"Why would I do that?"

"Why were you in the Freedom Fighters?"

Blinking in utter confusion, Mace shrugged. "What's a Freedom Fighters?"

"What… do you remember?" Throttle asked swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"I have nightmares, with a mouse hitting me with a hammer. Acid said it's what happened, but I don't remember it. Just the nightmares."

"You don't remember anything? Your family? Friends? The war?"

Looking at his feet Mace flicked his tail. "Some thing's I remember."

"Like what?" Throttle prodded wondering how he was going to tell Carbine or worse, Stoker that Mace wasn't going to be executed for his crimes.

"I remember Acid taking me for a bike ride, it was sunny and there was green. I can't see colors now."

"What else?"

"There was a nice mouse, a long haired one…, he had to be nice because he was beside me talking and smiling."

"Do you remember where or who it was?"

"No." Mace sighed his shoulders slumped. "I don't even know what color he was, everything fades into black and white now. I just remember the long hair and a cave."

"What else do you remember?" Throttle pried hoping something could be useful.

"The war isn't with felines; I don't know who it's against but not kitty-cats. It was something else, something I just don't know what."

Throttle nodded. "Well, you had been a very nice mouse back then, you were well liked. I think you just got too greedy."

Puzzled Mace's head snapped up and studied the mouse. "I'm a rat." He stated rather angrily. "Why would you say I was a mouse?"

"I meant rat." Throttle leaned back not sure what Mace was capable of still.

"oh." Mace nodded. "What's your name?"

"Throttle."

Standing up, the rat, Mace limped away.

*************

Stoker, Modo and Vinnie stood beside Throttle's abandoned bike.

"Well, we're up one bike and down a mouse. Any suggestions?" Stoker asked looking around the bluff.

"Ran away with a pretty lady?" Vinnie quipped kicking at the sand.

Stoker walked till he was at the edge of the bluff. The steep sandy slide down looked untouched. "He's not at the bottom, but…" Scanning the area the older mouse frowned. "Throttle might have got caught up in something, looks like a battle field."

"Stoker." Modo saw the sand move right by his mentor's feet. "Don't move."

"Why?" Stoker turned his head tempted to turn around.

"There's a snake at your feet." Modo emphasized pointing his arm canon at it.

Peering down at his feet, sure enough a tan snake slithered between his boots. "Modo, don't you dare shoot."

Vinnie chuckled. "His aim isn't as bad as yours."

"Shut up." Stoker growled as he watched the snake its double forked tongue flicking at his boot before moving on. The small rattle at the end of its tail made a short hissing noise.

"What is that?" Vinnie peered over his bike watching the sand colored snake slither by.

"A sand rattler." Stoker grumbled. Taking one look at Throttle's bike, then down the bluff, stoker walked to Throttle's bike. "Throttle's allergic to them. If he got off his bike…." Flipping open the saddlebags, his brown paws moved quickly looking for anything.

"He might have fallen." Vinnie revved his bike. Riding down the steep incline, a shiny object caught the white mouse's attention. "Hey! Found something." He called skidding in the sand.

Modo and Stoker both rode down, Throttle's bike following.

"Epi-pen." Vinnie read the used cartridge.

"He was bit." Modo frowned looking over the battlefield.

"Whoever was fighting here might have taken him in." Vinnie hopefully suggested.

"It wasn't us that done the fighting bro." Stoker surveyed the damage.

"Hey Stokes," Modo watched a dust cloud head towards them. "Those aren't one of ours."

Guns drawn the mice waited until the two rats stopped a few meters from them. "You boys missing a mouse for a week?" one of them called.

"Sure are, he get bit by a sand rattler?" Stoker asked flicking the used epi-cartridge at them.

The smaller rat caught it, read it and stowed it in his pocket. "Yeah, he came in with our casualties."

"You treated a mouse?" Vinnie muttered mystified.

"He was injured why not?" The small rat replied. "Only reason we're keeping around is 'cuz he's keeping the idiot occupied and out of our fur."

"Idiot?" Modo muttered.

"He's…. ah hell you'll see." A rat waved unable to describe Mace. "I'm Clever, that's Rope."

The smaller rat, Rope waved.

The trio followed the two rats who were more than willing to talk about the felines that started to invade their territory.

"Acid is our Commander. He's the one keeping idiot alive and well." The lead rat, Clever, said.

"Is this Acid Mouse-Friendly?" Stoker asked following the pair up a windy narrow trail.

"Yeah, he doesn't have a beef with them. Acid couldn't care less if they lived or died. Long as our territory isn't invaded than it doesn't matter." Rope replied as he pulled along side a solid wall of stone. "Open up!" He hollered.

A rock slid sideways exposing the hidden entrance. "We won't bite." Clever smiled as he followed Rope into the cave.

The trio of Mice and Throttle bike pulled along side their two guides.

"It's okay to park them here." Rope replied. "No one will touch a foreign AI."

"Except Idiot." Clever smirked. "We can only hope."

Stoker frowned, wary of the rats surrounding them.

"Stoker…." Modo whispered.

"Yeah?" Stoker replied watching a few rats stop tuning up their bikes to watch them pass.

"Does this feel like a trap to you?"

"No…." Stoker turned his head to look at Modo. "Why?"

"Shit is that!" Vinnie went for his gun.

Stoker's metal tail whipped up, snapping at Vinnie's wrist. "Stand down punk. It's not…. But.."

Acid stalked forward. "Freedom Fighters?" he asked eyeing the group before studying Stoker.

"Yeah, Rope and Clever said you had one of ours." Stoker stated, his eyes narrowing, daring the rat to challenge them.

"Stoker…." Acid muttered stepping forward. "You're well known here, mainly as the long-haired-mouse."

"The.. what!?" Stoker gapped. "Why would…"

"I'm Acid." He interrupted Stoker's ramblings. "Hold still, I have to fix your hair." Yanking both pony tails he untied them.

"OW!" Stoker growled going for the rat playing with his hair and pulling far too hard.

"Sorry but unless you want to be glomped by a rat far too big to be glomping than I suggest….. there." Acid stood back, "better than nothing."

Vinnie and Modo laughed at Stoker's new hairdo.

"What'd he do?"

"Here." Rope offered a mirror to Stoker, trying not to laugh.

"I look like an old maid…." Stoker growled unimpressed.

"My gray furred momma always said 'one bad hair day won't kill you.' But I think we might die laughing." Modo pulled at Stoker's hair buns.

Vinnie watched as Modo put Stokers thick mane into a single braid, the twisted it till it was a bun. "Looked better as a braid." Vinnie smirked.

"Yeah well, he had it short, may as well go with it." Modo shrugged as they hurried their pace to catch up with Acid who was just about to exit the garage.

*********

Throttle and Mace quietly looked over a puzzle they were putting together. The small bedside table served as their platform.

"Corner…." Mace slipped a corner piece into place.

Throttle smiled lightly, the mentality of the rat beside him wasn't far from a child's. He felt sorry for the Mace, who struggled with daily chores and words.

Acid led the Biker Mice into the infirmary. "When you see him, don't shout… he doesn't like loud noises."

"See who?" Vinnie asked only to run into the back of Stoker.

"Move old man!" Vinnie hissed.

Stoker couldn't hear him. Across the room, oblivious to anything but Throttle and a puzzle sat Mace. Scars evident in his fur, his eyes looking like something metal. Slowly slipping his gun out of his holster, the older mouse was going to take the shot he'd waited for since Harley vanished.

"Don't think about it Stoker." Acid warned.

Mace's ears flicked. "Stoker?" he muttered turning to the group of mice slowly making their way to him.

"Bros, this is Mace." Throttle sat up seeing their perplexed states. "Mace, That's Modo, Vinnie and Stoker."

Mace nodded scarcely hearing Throttle's light voice. Standing up, Mace slowly limped to the short dark colored mouse.

"Stoker?"

Stoker frowned. He didn't expect a blank looking rat staring down at him, without a fleck of violence in his metal eyes.

"Yeah, I'm Stoker."

"Mace… step away from them." Acid ordered.

Sadness engulfed Mace's features as he stepped to the side watching them head to Throttle.

Stoker peered over his shoulder to see the rat watch him with an expression.., a longing… that was what Mace looked like some sort of want.

"Bro… what's with the rat?" Vinnie asked as Throttle set the puzzle aside, free from the IV he flipped off the covers. "Harley nearly killed him with a claw hammer." Reaching down, Throttle turned his boots upside down and shook them, hitting the heels; he set them down before putting them on. "Mace can't remember anything before that, other than Stoker here being friendly to him."

"Nothing?" Modo frowned turning to look at the rat being held back by Acid.

"They call him Idiot as a nickname here." Throttle sighed stretching. "I don't think I've felt sorrier for anyone in my life."

"What do you mean?" Vinnie smirked. "It's a good look on him."

Stoker's brows furrowed, he understood what Throttle meant. "Anyway to try him?"

"He doesn't know what the Freedom Fighters are, he can't understand why he would have a mouse with him, nor does he know what a radio or rifle is… other than two rats here with those names." Throttle sighed looking over to the rat. "There's nothing we can do."

"You can kill him." Harley snapped as she ran down the hall and into Vinnie's arms.

"HARLEY!" Vinnie squealed with glee.

Throttle skirted around Vinnie and Harley.

Modo and Stoker watched as Throttle put his arms around Mace. The rat smiled before a slight whimper escaped his mouth.

"Don't go.... please." Mace begged clinging to Throttle. "Please stay."

Stoker frowned. The rat was far from the Mace they knew. He looked like him, but no one would believe that thing was the dirty traitor that did so much damage.

"I got to Mace." Throttle sighed letting go of the rat. "I'm sorry. I have to go with my kind."

Mace whimpered as Acid help him back. "Can I come with you?" he begged like an innocent child. "Please... you like me."

"Yes I do like you Mace, but I can't bring you with me. You are a rat. We are mice." Throttle couldn't explain it well. He wanted to shoot the rat just to put it out of its misery, not out of hate.

"Let me go... with them Acid?... Please?" His metal eyes looked up at the older rat hugging him while the mice and Harley passed.

"I can't let you go with them Mace. You're needed here." Acid said watching the long haired Stoker fight to take apart the bun. The braid wasn't coming undone as easily.

"Modo." Stoker grumbled as he got on his bike. "You're taking my hair out of this braid once we get away from these rats territory."

Harley jumped on the red bike behind Vinnie.

"Yes sir." Modo chuckled as the group left the base with a couple of shadows until they were out of the territory, then the rats headed back to the base.

"It's great to have you back babe." Vinnie smiled his tail wrapping around Harley's middle.

"It's great to be among friends." She admitted her arms wrapped tightly around Vinnie snuggling him from behind.

END

Note: This was wrote before the new BMFM aired in North America. With the gossip of Harley and Mace being in the new series I couldn't help but thinking HOW. I didn't fully incorporate her new and admittedly ugly face mask into this fic. I like to ignore the fact she wears something resembling Jack Black's wrestling out fit from one of his movies.


End file.
